Tree of Life

Book II Chapter 05

TREE OF LIFE BOOK II

CHAPTER 05

Brian and Nicole got off the helicopter. Brian was greeted by a number of men, reporting in, giving him the latest news. He gave them instructions and they began to unload the equipment and supplies they had brought along with them from the city.

Nicole took a few steps forward and looked around her. The patch of land she was standing on was about the size of a football field. Beyond the helipad where she was standing, there were scattered enclosures all around, some of them tents, some of them made of aluminium.

Brian strode up to her from behind. “Hey, listen…” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She glared at the hand. He removed it.

“Look.” He raised his hands like he was surrendering. “I’m sorry about…what happened…before. On the chopper.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it…”

“But I meant what I said.”

She squinted up into his face. She stared at him for a minute but he didn’t flinch. Looking away, she took a deep breath in and out. “Brian, I don’t want to talk about that right now. It’s not important. We should concentrate on what’s important first…”

“So, you won’t reconsider?”

“Reconsider?” She turned to him again. “Reconsider what?”

“What we talked about. Back on the chopper. Will you not reconsider? Will you not even think about it?”

A gust of wind whipped up. It blew a few locks of her hair out of place. Reaching up, she brushed it aside. She straightened the locket around her neck.

She laughed a little but it was hollow. “No. I won’t. Why would I?” She crossed her arms on her chest.

They stared at each other. Neither spoke.

Brian, a giant among men, stood with his hands on his hips, head and shoulders above Nicole so she had to crane her neck back just to look into his face, but in that moment, it seemed that he was the smaller somehow. Maybe it was her stance. Maybe it was her air, her aura. A mountain could fall on her in that moment and it would be the mountain that would crumble to a million pieces.

Brian sighed. He nodded. “Okay then.” He tossed his head back. He laughed. “I knew it! Actually, even before I spoke the words, I knew you’d be like that…” He shrugged. “…well, I just thought I’d give it one last shot, you know? Just one last time…” He turned away and shook his head.

She frowned. “Look, Brian, all I care about right now is how to get Julian back. Or at least find out if he’s all right. I mean, that’s why we’re here, right? That’s why you brought me here?”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s right. That’s the reason why I brought you here.” He turned around to face her.

They locked eyes and of a sudden, there seemed something lost. Something was gone now, something that had been there once, even as recently as the ride back on the chopper. But now, it was gone. It was definitely gone and a decision had been made.

He began stomping away. “Come on, then. This way.”

~~~

The camp they were in was indeed like a football field, except one edge of this football field was bound by a cliff with a drop of a hundred and fifty feet straight down into a river. As Brian led the way, Nicole and ten of his men followed him to this edge to begin descending a winding path hugging the side of the cliff face, much like a metal staircase on the outside of a lighthouse. Nicole thought that Brian had probably taken advantage of a natural ledge in the cliff here and widened it for easier access.